Posted on April 5, 2014
There was really nothing wrong with my paid-off car, except for the annoying knock that occurred whenever I hit a pothole a certain way. In hope of solving the problem the local dealership had my car — and I had a loaner – for almost four weeks. But it couldn’t find the cause of the knock even though it contacted the manufacturer who had never heard anything like this before.
In the end the manufacturer, the dealership, and the mechanics all agreed. The knock was not solvable. They all wanted to say it was just a nuisance noise and that it was non-life threatening, but really there was no empirical proof.
And I, the owner of the knocking car, didn’t want to put up with it. So I talked myself into buying a new car without a knock. Without a stick shift too.
I’m not sure why I broke my string of purchasing only stick shift cars, a string of almost fifty years. I’m not sure why I even bought a new car, except that my knocking one was eight years old, I currently had stellar credit, and the terms were zero percent interest on the life of the loan.
So, now I own a white Toyota Camry. It has a bevy of features that have become standard since I purchased my last car, and I suspect I’ll get used to them. But for now, I find the experience boring as there is nothing to do in the driver’s seat because the car does it all.
See more 10 Minutes in category Changing Scene
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Posted on April 4, 2014
I returned from Costa Rica’s ninety-nine degree temperatures two weeks from today. At the time, I was grateful to feel chill on my cheeks instead of perspiration. And I promised myself I’d never whine about weather again.
I take that promise back. We are two weeks into Spring, and Winter still holds an icy grip on our locale. While we haven’t had any fresh snow, there are still mounds of ugly, dirty white stuff (an oxymoron, I believe) on corners and in parking lots to remind us of what we’ve been through.
They would be tolerable if it weren’t for the incessant grey and damp that still pervades.And for the past two days, it’s rained as if Noah were a local resident.
I checked my flower beds for tulips buds, but nothing yet. We’ve even made reservations for the Holland Tulip Festival in May, but I’m concerned. Will there be Spring? Will there be tulips? Or will we go from Winter to Summer in one breath?
I don’t wish I were back in Costa Rica because the rainy season is starting. In fact, I’m glad we went when we did. Still, I hope our rainy season is over and we’re about to emerge into pure weather delight.
Posted on April 3, 2014
Eighteen years ago today my Mother died. That year, it was Easter Week, which created complications in terms of funeral services and burial in the Catholic Church. But then Mother never did anything the easy way.
Maybe I’ve said this before in one of my couple thousand blogs; but it bears repeating. Mother was stiffly starched; by comparison I am wash and wear. Once she made up her mind, she never visited an issue again. Me? I’m always changing sides. Which lent to a prickly relationship between us.
Still, I never am far away from thinking of her on this day. I believe she died at the right time.
She missed the Clinton impeachment effort; and, as a staunch Clinton supporter and fellow Arkansas resident, she would have been so disappointed. She missed the dismantling of her beloved TWA, where she had twice been a flight attendant. She also missed 9/11 and a variety of wars and public scandals and stock market fluctuations. Most of all, she missed her husband who had died fourteen months before.
So I think of her and smile. And believe it all turned out right.
See more 10 Minutes in category Me/Family, Nostalgia
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Posted on April 2, 2014
“You never blogged about your recent trip to Costa Rica,” Earl noted, as we munched on baked potato fries. My mouth was full, so I simply nodded.
He’s right. I usually blog whenever we’re on vacation, but for some reason I went completely off the grid in Costa Rica. Maybe it was the sudden change in temperature. It was a bone-chilling seventeen degrees when we boarded the plane in New York City and a scorching ninety-nine degrees when we arrived in Quepos, CR, several hours later. Or maybe it was because we were so busy during the day that we collapsed at night when I might normally stay up and write. Or maybe it was because I just didn’t feel like it.
I’ve been home about ten days now and have moved on to anticipating my next adventure. Still, Earl’s comment made me pause.
What do I want to remember about this recent trip to a wonderful country? For starters, being with family is always great. And returning to a resort that holds fond memories of previous trips is special too. But most of all, I’m thrilled that Costa Rica hasn’t changed all that much in the ten years since my last visit.
The tropical vegetation thrives; the flora and fauna are beautiful and plentiful. After all, where else in the world is hunting banned like it is in Costa Rica? And the people are genuinely gracious from the taxi driver to the bartender to the woman who rents chairs on the beach.
Of course there is construction and better roads and a new marina that will probably signal serious growth for Quepos in the near future. But there is no McDonald’s, no Starbuck’s, and no Wal-Marts. Instead a new supermarket near our resort blended with surrounding buildings. And the owner of Si Como No! (translates as So, Why Not?) , where we stayed, shared that the new government is interested in planned growth that doesn’t tax the infrastructure of the country or change its ecology.
I’m sure there are financial considerations to all this too, but I’m thrilled to defy Thomas Wolfe’s sentiment that “You can’t go home again.” If it’s Costa Rica, you still can.
See more 10 Minutes in category Flora/Fauna, Travel
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Posted on March 31, 2014
It was to be a reward for mall walking when we would have preferred napping or reading yesterday afternoon. But C and I did almost three miles at the Orchards Mall and promised ourselves ice cream for our efforts. We went to Steak ‘n’ Shake because it’s known for having the real deal and not soft serve or some other artificial or watered down version.
Charity – her name was on her badge – seated us, gave us a couple minutes to study the menu, and took our orders. They weren’t complicated. C ordered a vanilla shake, and I ordered a chocolate hot fudge brownie. The picture on the menu showed a brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge (I even asked to make sure it would be hot fudge and not chocolate syrup), whipped cream, and a cherry. It looked yummy.
Twenty minutes later found us still without our ice cream and agreeing that our husbands would be walking out the door about now. That’s when Charity returned and said the cooks were backed up because the drive-thru was really busy. It struck us as odd that drive-thru customers got preferential treatment when those of us who took the time to park and come in are the ones who also tip. It also struck us strange that cooks needed to be involved in ice cream concoctions.
Forty minutes into this mission, C’s shake and a brownie covered with hot fudge arrived. But the ice cream, whipped cream, and cherry were clearly MIA. Eventually, they arrived; but my dessert never did approximate yummy.
I will say Charity worked hard to make the situation right, offering profuse apologies with every stop at our booth. She even had the manager come by, who explained that the cook in the back was in a bad mood. Probably more than you’d want to tell a customer, but by now we were all old friends. We’d been there longer than it took to walk the three miles at the mall and we’d probably ruined our dinners too.
In the end, Steak ‘n’ Shake didn’t charge us for the ice cream. Still, next time we reward ourselves for walking, I’ll suggest we get guacamole and chips at the Mexican restaurant up the road.
See more 10 Minutes in category Dining/Food
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Posted on March 13, 2014
I leave today for a week in Costa Rica with my son and his partner. Because neither of my sons lives close, it’s always a project to get together. It requires the kindness of the weather gods plus multiple airline transfers with the risk of cancellation plus keeping one’s luggage in tow. It’s always worthwhile though.
This current trip was planned last November when the three of us – my son, his partner, and I – began closing their company. In the time it was in existence, the corporate credit card accumulated an incredible amount of points. And we certainly didn’t want them to go to waste. Or expire.
So we decide we’d use them for a final get-together in Costa Rica on the company dole. When we return we’ll cancel the credit card, close the bank account, and then need to find creative ways to bridge the distance between Michigan and New York State.
See more 10 Minutes in category Me/Family, Travel
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Posted on March 11, 2014
Last August I gave Earl a Keurig for his birthday, knowing his love of gadgets. At that time the Keurig seemed to be the coffee gadget par excellence, at least for simple folk. (This excludes three hundred dollar cappuccino makers and people who live in glass houses.)
It took a while, but we finally mastered the Keurig to the point where I almost prefer my own blend at home to schlepping to Starbucks® for a latte. And I schlepped for years. I haven’t done a cost analysis, but I believe Keurig saves me money too. It certainly saves me time since Starbuck’s is twenty minutes away.
Sorry Starbuck’s. I’m not deserting you completely, but I’m also hanging out with something new. I hope you understand.
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Posted on March 6, 2014
What have I done since my last blog? Which is code for “Where has the time gone?” I’m no longer employed; yet, my days fill to capacity.
A couple friends and I saw another classic film, “North by Northwest.” And I had the same reaction as I’d had to “Casablanca.” It was wonderful. There was no swearing, no nudity (although plenty of clothed sexual innuendo), and no bloody violence. Alfred Hitchcock directed it, so there was great suspense and tension too.
I’ve begun mall walking as an antidote to the harsh winter weather. I’ve often pooh-poohed mall walking as a silly and half-hearted form of exercise; but being reduced to few outside walking options at the moment, it was time to reconsider. Armed with my pedometer, I have visited Orchards Mall more than once and can attest that one complete circle of the outer perimeter is approximately six-tenths of a mile. I’ve nodded at other walkers too, some strolling but others more intent.
I’ve cooked more than usual and found time to cast a critical eye over my cleaning person’s work. (I’m pickier about things when I’m less pre-occupied with deadlines and financial reports.) Finished Nothing to Envy, the selection for my book club meeting this morning, without cramming at the last minute.
I’ve caught up on other reading. And am getting ready to meet with our accountant with the intent of filing our taxes on time this year. I’m also getting ready to vacation in Costa Rica one week from today. Of course, that means the requisite tanning, haircut, pedicure, and manicure. And the requisite diet so as not to be the blob on the beach.
I’ve heard other friends say it, but didn’t really believe it. However, I can’t imagine how I ever found time to work!
See more 10 Minutes in category Changing Scene, Me/Family
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Posted on February 27, 2014
A couple days ago three friends and I went to see the classic movie “Casablanca” on the big screen, courtesy of our local cinema that airs a different old-time movie each week.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen “Casablanca” on the big screen, even though it is my favorite all-time movie. It was released in 1942, and I wasn’t born yet. By the time I visited movie theaters, it was on its way to the archives. Still, somewhere I caught up with the film and have loved it ever since.
The big screen is wonderful, even more than sixty years after the original release. There are close-ups of Bogart, Bergman, Henreid, and others. There are crowd shots that relay the tension of the time: Paris just before the fall, the train station where Ilse deserts Rick, Rick’s Café during the dueling anthems scene, and Casablanca’s market place.
I don’t know how many films have been made since 1942, and I don’t really care. Each time I see “Casablanca”I learn something new, which makes me believe the film is in a class by itself.
See more 10 Minutes in category Nostalgia
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Posted on February 21, 2014
Winter must be getting to me. In checking my blog I see my last few entries are all about food. I’m not sure what this means, but maybe I’d better step on my scale for a reality check.
Other people seem at wit’s end too. When I went to work out, I heard someone say, “I am so sick of this!” Meaning the harsh weather we’ve had this season. To which I responded, “So is everybody. You’re not unique.” Which is another indication that winter is getting to me too. I’m usually not that snippy to strangers.
I loved the snow in January and enjoyed being housebound as I transitioned from the work force to the retirement club. I caught up on household projects, began writing in earnest again, and read more than I’d read in the past few months. I wasn’t even unhappy that the groundhog saw its shadow at the beginning of February.
But I must say it’s all becoming tedious. It takes much longer to do anything that requires going outside, and being housebound is becoming less enjoyable because it’s not special anymore. Maybe that’s why I have food on the brain – and the blog – these days.
See more 10 Minutes in category Dining/Food, Things to Ponder
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